From the hundreds of camera and photography apps available on the Play Store, only a few of them are designed to offer the amateur photographer a bit more control over more advanced settings of the camera, since most of them come packed with filters, effects, and automated configurations. In most cases, the photos obtained with the stock Android camera are not the best and there is little we can do with the available settings. So here's a selection of third-party camera apps that can make a difference and help you make the most of your phone's camera, taking your experience to a whole new level.

Let's start with Shot Control, a great camera app packed with a bunch of advanced options. One of the most outstanding features of this app is its layout and the easy access it offers to the most important controls, making them instantly accessible. This makes it possible to increase or decrease exposure on the fly using a slider or easily change the focus mode without needing to navigate through endless settings; it includes 10 tap-to-focus and tap-to-exposure modes. Besides exposure compensation and focus, we find the ability to set ISO, white balance, and choose different scene and flash modes very quickly. Shot Control is a very good option if you think the default camera app of your device is too basic for your needs since it gives you more control and flexibility to obtain qualitative photo. Shot Control is currently free.

Shot Control Options

For more in-depth, manual controls there is Camera FV-5, my personal favorite in this selection. Camera FV-5 is an app that gives you control over settings that are usually automated in most cameras, putting lots of advanced options at your fingertips. It has a fullscreen, DSLR-like viewfinder with all the controls and displays conveniently placed around it. Using sliders or with a simple tap you can quickly adjust exposure compensation, set different ISO values with a range from 50 to 3200 (that actually depends on the device), select between different focus modes, set white balance and light metering modes. In addition, it lets you set long exposure times manually to obtain stunning night photos with light trails. It incorporates features like intervalometer and exposure bracketing, which allow you to produce multiple shots with different exposures. Camera FV-5 is recommended for amateur photographers or those seeking for a more professional experience beyond filters, effects, and automatic enhancements. This app comes in two versions: the free Lite edition and the full version cost $3.95

Сamera FV-5 Focus Settings

Camera Zoom FX is another great camera app packed with an impressive amount of options and is also among the most popular apps of this list. Besides its powerful camera, it stands out for its numerous editing features plus its sharing options. Camera Zoom FX is very fast and lets you choose from several shooting modes, which include a stable shot, timer, time lapse, collage, voice-activated, and burst, the latter with the ability to take up to 50 shots. It includes scene modes for different light conditions, and lets you adjust the white balance and, depending on the device, the ISO values. At the same time, it helps you learn and use composition techniques such as the Rule of Thirds or Golden Ratio so as to achieve better results. Another nifty feature is the possibility of customizing the buttons of your device to assign them to different camera functions. Camera Zoom FX includes dozens of effects, frames, and textures that you can apply to your photos in real time and instantly share them to your favorite social networks. The app has a cost of $2.99.